Kinematic Modeling of Handed Shearing Auxetics via Piecewise Constant Curvature
This provides a kinematic model for HSA-based continuum robots, enabling applications like inspection and solar tracking, but it is incremental as it adapts existing PCC methods to a new structure.
The paper tackled the lack of kinematic models for Handed Shearing Auxetics (HSA) in continuum robots by adapting Piecewise Constant Curvature (PCC) Models with a length change coupling matrix, achieving a positional accuracy with mean error of 5.5mm (4.5% body length) and angular accuracy with mean error of -2.8°.
Handed Shearing Auxetics (HSA) are a promising technique for making motor-driven, soft, continuum robots. Many potential applications from inspection tasks to solar tracking require accurate kinematic models to predict the position and orientation of these structures. Currently there are no models for HSA based continuum platforms. To address this gap we propose to adapt Piecewise Constant Curvature (PCC) Models using a length change coupling matrix. This models the interaction of HSA structures in a 2x2 array. The coupling matrix maps the change in motor angles to length changes and defines the configuration space in our modified PCC Model. We evaluate our model on a composite movement encompassing bending, extension and compression behavior. Our model achieves a positional accuracy with mean error of 5.5mm or 4.5% body length and standard deviation of 1.72mm. Further, we achieve an angular accuracy with mean error of -2.8$^\circ$ and standard deviation of 1.9$^\circ$.